The present invention generally relates to the field of information handling systems and particularly to an electronic program guide for an information handling system.
It is often desirable to provide a program guide in an electronic format that provides programming information such as broadcast or cable television programming schedules for regularly scheduled programs and events. The electronic program guide (or EPG) may be compiled by a service provider and delivered to the user via electronic transmissions systems. The electronic program guide is then displayable on an information handling system such that the user may view the programming information to decide which programs to watch and at what times to watch them.
One disadvantage of the traditional electronic program guide is that it typically only includes information for a predetermined time period, typically 72 hours (3 days) from the date and time of the download. Thus, a user is not able to view programming information for time periods beyond the end time of the period covered by the downloaded programming guide data. Furthermore, if a user wanted to set up a recording device to record a recurring program on a recurring basis, the user would not be certain that a given program is a recurring program on the basis of the program guide since the program guide only provides information for a predetermined window of time and not beyond the end time of the program guide data. Additionally, if a user desired to set up an information handling system to remind the user of the start time of a recurring program, the user could not do so with the limited program guide data.
Thus, there lies a need to provide an electronic program guide for an information handling system that is capable of generating a future program guide by determining program guide data beyond the window of time provided by downloaded program guide data. Further, it would be highly desirable to determine which programs in a set of program guide data are recurring programs such that the recurring programs may be indicated in the electronic program guide.
The present invention is directed to an information handling system for utilizing an electronic program guide and for generating a future program guide. In one embodiment, the information handling system includes a processor for executing a program of instructions for the information handling system, and a memory coupled to the processor for storing the program of instructions. The program of instructions comprises a program guide storable in the memory and executable by the processor for causing the information handling system to obtain current program guide information, to compare the current program guide information to previous program guide information stored in an information storage medium coupled to the processor to thereby generate future programming information, and to generate a future program guide based upon the future programming information.
The present invention is further directed to a method for generating program guide information in an information handling system. In one embodiment, the method includes steps for obtaining current program guide information from a program information source, reading previous program guide information from an information storage medium coupled to the information handling system, determining whether a program of the current program guide information is the same as a program of the previous program guide information, in the event it is determined that a program of the current program guide information is the same as a program of the previous program guide information, setting the program as a recurring program, and generating a future program guide by including the recurring program in the future program guide.
It is to be understood that both the forgoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention and together with the general description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.